There is another
solution,
however different, that you might use since you are at a
university. How
about using the solution, perhaps concentrating it, and then have a
general chem
lab or physics lab retrieve the copper by electroplating it as a lab
experiment.

This might lead to another disposal
problem, but the metal would be gone. The
copper could
be used possibly in another experiment. Hopefully doing this could
lead
to less disposal for you. And I agree strongly with some of the
other
comments about never using the term “waste” as it raises all
kinds
of red flags with those who are not as cognizant of chemistry as they
should
be.

Thank you for your response, it prompted me to look up the sewer
regulations
rather than try to make a hazardous waste determination. In
19.04 Rules
of the City of New York (RCNY) I found that copper is limited to 5mg/l
prior
to discharge. So I have my answer.

Anthony,
Sometime during the process while you're figuring out how to manage
that
aqueous waste, be sure to contact the POTW and describe exactly what
it is
you're planning on putting down the drain. Then be sure to get
something in writing from them, don't accept a verbal OK from the POTW
engineer over the phone. You never know when you'll have to pull
that
letter out during an inspection. I have a letter from the POTW
granting
permission to drain-dispose of pH-neutralized solutions of certain
waste
streams with very low concentrations of some D-coded metals.
These
metals are well below the TCLP threshold concentrations and therefore
are not
HW by EPA's regulatory definition. The POTW engineer might ask
you to
send a sample of that waste stream to a certified environmental lab
for a
proper hazardous waste determination and POTW compatibility testing
before he
signs anything.

The POTW's major concern is that whatever wastewater they receive
doesn't
somehow kill their colonies of activated sludge. If that
happens, it's
upsetting for them and they'll trace the contaminant back to the
facility
that caused the problem. The folks here at one of the Los
Angeles POTWs
still talk about a colony-killing event that happened more than ten
years ago
and what a hassle that was for them to mitigate.

And when you talk to the POTW, avoid using the words "Hazardous
Waste" because that's an EPA regulatory term, and Hazardous Waste
also
carries waste codes - and they'll immediately remind you that you
cannot
dispose of "Hazardous Waste" down the drain. Dilute
solutions
of cupric sulfate don't carry any EPA waste codes. I think this
is
going to be easy waste stream problem for you to solve, and you'll
save a lot
of money in disposal costs in the long run if you do it
right.

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